The Real Love of Christ and Dreaming Dreams

Wow!  I was talking to my sister about her idea to write a guest post and realized it had been a couple months since I've written.  School started, and we've been bombarded by problems that I won't bore you with, but despite all that I think it time I record the next chapter of my spiritual journey.

I joined a group on Facebook about divine dreams, and at first thought it would be just for fun, but the longer I was there the more I learned about my own gift for dreaming.  I learned the meaning of a significant dream from my childhood and threw myself into seeking learning from God about the direction he wants for my life.  Having found joy in service at a nondenominational church after a while it seemed I'd learned about what they had to offer.  Then I started having dreams that gave me the impression it was time for me to move on somewhere that would offer more and deeper knowledge.  I remembered a woman telling me about a Messianic Jewish Synagogue.  I started feeling the desire to learn more about the Jewish roots of Christianity, after all Christ was himself a Jew and taught Judaism, and while the sacrifice of Christ fulfilled the Law of Moses so there was no more need to sacrifice animals, Jesus being the last "sacrificial lamb", there are other aspects of the law that can and likely should be kept.  In my heart, I feel that learning more about these laws will inform me of more of the nature of God and His character.  I decided to seek out and attend one of these Messianic Jewish Synagogues.

After attending a Friday night service I notified the people I served with at the Christian church I had found.  The contrast between their reaction and the reaction I got from Mormons when I differed with them on some matters of doctrine was so stark it was truly astonishing to me.  The reaction of Mormons had been to gossip, shun, or argue or some combination thereof.  Here, they prayed for me and my family and our journey, told me they would miss me, hugged me, and reminded me I was always welcome.  They accepted and validated my spiritual journey agreeing I had to follow what God had placed in my heart and I felt nothing but love from them.  There was no judgment whatsoever.  I almost couldn't believe it!  Was this what it was like for normal Christians?  They just do what feels right in their own spiritual journey, and allow others to do the same, and just love each other with the love Christ preached?  What an idea!  It was such a refreshing experience I almost rethought my decision.  My kids had fun there, and I could do something more productive if the sermon wasn't a topic that would enrich me.  Last week I couldn't get myself to go because I knew the topic was relating to how to decide who to vote for, and I've already decided and this not being a political blog I'll say no more about that, just that it wasn't how I wanted to spend a Sunday.  Perhaps this next week, or perhaps not, either way I know I am welcome and loved there despite believing things that are not common held beliefs in the congregation.  And with that example of Christlike love I don't think I've met a more Christian bunch of Christians anywhere else!

Voluntary Service

In my new church home where I've been attending for a couple months now I've volunteered to be one of the greeters and ushers.  Greeters hold the door and Ushers pass out programs, pass the communion trays, and the collection plates.  I was more full of joy and gratitude to serve today than I ever was in an LDS setting. I loved serving in the LDS church too, but it being expected and not really voluntary makes an interesting difference.  I remember moving to different wards, and sometimes waiting months before getting to serve, and really wanting to but you aren't allowed to serve until you are given a "calling" and other wards where I barely attended a week before I was extended a calling and told what to do to serve.  The waiting was always full of a certain amount of fearful anticipation wondering if I would get called to something I wasn't very good at or don't really enjoy.  It was very much stressed that you shouldn't decline a calling, making one almost feel guilty if they didn't want to serve in the calling they were given.  Serving to avoid a feeling of guilt is so much different than serving motivated by a real love and desire to serve.  Often that love and desire are there too within the LDS setting, sometimes that comes after the service and often at such a time the person would then be released and called to something else.  This expectation of service regardless of what that person really wants to do and what their gifts are makes the service feel less like a gift freely given and more like an obligation. Yet that expectation of service prepared me to volunteer. 

After not very long attending my current church home I couldn't help but feel the need to make a meaningful contribution to their services.  I was grateful to the others I could see volunteering each week to watch my children, hold the doors, and other such services.  I wanted to be involved in this community of Christians and not simply an observer of them as I came and went enjoying my personal worship of my Savior.  Christ was a man of service and following His example to serve within the church greatly amplified my worship experience.  Initially I worried that the time spent ushering I would miss out in singing and worshiping, and though I didn't sing as much as I did as a member of the audience the Spirit was over me and God filled my need to commune with Him so I really wasn't sacrificing anything that I thought I would be. 

As I was greeting and ushering this week I was wearing my head covering. And two very interesting things happened. One lady talked to me about how to tie my scarves the way I did and said she wants to get scarves for cancer patients, but doesn't know how to tie them. I told her about the youtube tutorials I watched and to search for head coverings.  I hope to see her again and see if this is something I could get involved in with her.  Another lady asked me if I'm Jewish, and she told me she is a Messianic Jew, and talked about the women wearing head coverings at her synagogue. I told her I wasn't Jewish, and I wished I could have talked to her more. I would be very interested in visiting her synagogue if they would let me.  These were both people I wouldn't have met had I not volunteered today.  I hope to make the same connections next week and get to learn more about these women's journey.